American Woman (2019 film)

Last updated
American Woman
American Woman (2019) poster.jpg
Official poster
Directed by Semi Chellas
Written bySemi Chellas
Based on American Woman
by Susan Choi
Produced by
Starring
Cinematography Gregory Middleton
Edited byLindsay Allikas
Music by Lesley Barber
Production
companies
Distributed by Elevation Pictures
Release dates
  • April 28, 2019 (2019-04-28)(Tribeca)
  • June 30, 2020 (2020-06-30)(Canada)
Running time
85 minutes [1]
Countries
  • United States
  • Canada
LanguageEnglish

American Woman is a 2019 drama film written and directed by Semi Chellas, [2] in her feature directorial debut. It stars Hong Chau, Sarah Gadon, John Gallagher Jr., Lola Kirke, David Cubitt, Jordan Pettle, Richard Walters and Ellen Burstyn. Based on the 2003 novel of the same title by Susan Choi, the film is a fictional account of Wendy Yoshimura, the real-life woman who cared for heiress Patty Hearst after she was abducted. [1]

Contents

It had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 28, 2019, was released in Canada on June 30, 2020, by Elevation Pictures.

Plot

Adept at living off the grid ever since she masterminded an act of violence against the American government, 25-year-old former radical Jenny Shimada agrees to take care of three fugitives who are on the run. One of the three fugitives happens to be the kidnapped granddaughter of a wealthy newspaper magnate and has become a national celebrity for embracing her captors’ ideology and joining their revolutionary cell.

Cast

Production

In September 2017, it was announced Hong Chau had joined the cast of the film, with Semi Chellas directing from a screenplay she wrote. Killer Films was announced as producing the film. [3]

Release

The film had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 28, 2019. [4] It had a gala premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2019. [5] [6]

Reception

As of October 2021, 57% of the 14 reviews compiled by Rotten Tomatoes are positive, with an average rating of 6/10. [7] The Globe and Mail calls it a "Canadian heist thriller American Woman knows when to simmer and when to boil over." [8]

It competed in the Calgary International Film Festival in 2019, where it was awarded a Special Jury Mention for Acting. [9] It also won Best Picture, Best Director (Semi Chellas), Best Actress (Hong Chau), and Best Cinematography (Gregory Middleton) at the Downtown Los Angeles Film Festival in 2019. [10]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ellen Burstyn</span> American actress (born 1932)

Ellen Burstyn is an American actress. Known for her portrayals of complex women in dramas, she is the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a Tony Award, and two Primetime Emmy Awards, making her one of the few performers to achieve the "Triple Crown of Acting". She has also received a BAFTA Award and a Golden Globe Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sarah Gadon</span> Canadian actress

Sarah Lynn Gadon is a Canadian actress. She began her acting career guest-starring in a number of television series, such as Are You Afraid of the Dark? (1999), Mutant X (2002), and Dark Oracle (2004). She also worked as a voice actress on various television productions. Gadon gained recognition for her roles in David Cronenberg's films A Dangerous Method (2011), Cosmopolis (2012), and Maps to the Stars (2014). She also starred in Denis Villeneuve's thriller Enemy (2013), the period drama Belle (2013), and the action horror film Dracula Untold (2014).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Semi Chellas</span> American screenwriter

Semi Chellas is a director, writer, producer who has written for film, television and magazines. She was born in Palo Alto, California and grew up in Calgary, Alberta. She is known for her work on the television series Mad Men and her film adaptation of American Woman based on Susan Choi's novel of the same name.

rakontur is a Miami-based media studio founded by Billy Corben and Alfred Spellman in 2000.

<i>Men Go to Battle</i> 2015 American film

Men Go To Battle is a 2015 American dark comedy/drama film directed by Zachary Treitz and written by Treitz and Kate Lyn Sheil. It stars Tim Morton, David Maloney, Rachel Korine, Sheil, and Steve Coulter. The film had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 17, 2015.

"American Woman" is a 1970 rock song by The Guess Who.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hong Chau</span> American actress (born 1979)

Hong Chau is an American actress. She has received several award nominations for her film roles as Ngoc Lan Tran in Downsizing (2017) and as Liz, a nurse, in The Whale (2022), including one for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for the latter.

<i>Untogether</i> 2018 American film

Untogether is an American drama film written and directed by Emma Forrest. Her directorial debut, it stars Jamie Dornan, Ben Mendelsohn, Lola Kirke and Jemima Kirke. The film centers on a recovering addict who attempts to get her writing career back on track.

<i>Duck Butter</i> 2018 American film

Duck Butter is a 2018 American independent film directed by Miguel Arteta, from a screenplay by Arteta and Alia Shawkat. It stars Shawkat, Laia Costa, Mae Whitman, Hong Chau and Kate Berlant.

<i>Homecoming</i> (TV series) American psychological thriller television series

Homecoming is an American psychological thriller television series based on the Gimlet Media podcast of the same name. Created by Eli Horowitz and Micah Bloomberg, the series premiered November 2, 2018, on Amazon Prime Video. Horowitz and Bloomberg also serve as writers and executive producers alongside Sam Esmail, Chad Hamilton, Julia Roberts, Alex Blumberg, Matt Lieber, and Chris Giliberti. Esmail also directed every episode of the first season, which stars Roberts, Bobby Cannavale, Stephan James, Shea Whigham, Alex Karpovsky, and Sissy Spacek.

AWOL is a 2016 romantic drama film written and directed by Deb Shoval and starring Lola Kirke and Breeda Wool. It is based on Shoval's 2010 short film of the same name. It is also Shoval's directorial debut.

<i>Clementine</i> (2019 film) 2019 film by Lara Gallagher

Clementine is a 2019 American romantic drama film written and directed by Lara Gallagher. It stars Otmara Marrero, Sydney Sweeney, Will Brittain and Sonya Walger.

<i>Trixie Mattel: Moving Parts</i> 2019 American film

Trixie Mattel: Moving Parts is a documentary film starring drag queen and singer-songwriter Trixie Mattel. It was directed by Nick Zeig-Owens and produced by David Silver, and premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 25, 2019. Following screenings, Mattel performed several songs on stage. The documentary was made available on video on demand platforms on December 3, 2019.

<i>Driveways</i> (film) 2019 American independent film

Driveways is a 2019 American drama film directed by Andrew Ahn and starring Hong Chau, Lucas Jaye, and Brian Dennehy, from an original screenplay by playwrights Hannah Bos and Paul Thureen. The film had its world premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival on February 10, and its American premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival April 30. FilmRise released it via video-on-demand in the United States on May 7, 2020, in lieu of a theatrical release due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It tells the story of a woman who has come to the house of her late sister to pack it up and prepare it for sale. While there, her young son strikes up a friendship with an elderly widower living next door.

<i>XY Chelsea</i> 2019 British documentary film

XY Chelsea is a 2019 American-British documentary film directed by Tim Travers Hawkins, written by Travers Hawkins, Mark Monroe, Enat Sidi, and Andrea B. Scott. Laura Poitras serves as an executive producer. The film follows Chelsea Manning, after she is released from prison.

<i>Mark, Mary & Some Other People</i> 2021 American film

Mark, Mary & Some Other People is a 2021 American comedy film, written, directed, and produced by Hannah Marks. It stars Hayley Law, Ben Rosenfield, Odessa A'zion, Nik Dodani, Matt Shively, Sofia Bryant, Gillian Jacobs, Joe Lo Truglio, Steve Little, Kelli Berglund, Haley Ramm, Peter Williams and Lea Thompson.

<i>The God Committee</i> 2021 American film

The God Committee is a 2021 American drama film, adapted and directed by Austin Stark, based on the play of the same name by Mark St. Germain. It stars Kelsey Grammer, Julia Stiles, Janeane Garofalo, Dan Hedaya, and Colman Domingo. The film focuses on organ transplant systems and the impact they have on the people involved.

<i>Devils Gate</i> (2017 film) 2017 American horror thriller film

Devil's Gate is a 2017 American supernatural horror film written and directed by Clay Staub from a screenplay by Peter Aperlo. The film stars Amanda Schull, Shawn Ashmore, Milo Ventimiglia, Bridget Regan and Jonathan Frakes.

<i>12 Hour Shift</i> American black comedy film

12 Hour Shift is a 2020 American black comedy horror film written and directed by Brea Grant and starring Angela Bettis, Kit Williamson, and David Arquette. Bettis plays Mandy, a drug-addicted nurse involved in a black market organ-trading scheme in 1999. Arquette was one of the film's producers, alongside his wife Christina Arquette, and Jordan Wayne Long, Tara Perry, and Matt Glass. The film also features music composed by Glass.

<i>Corner Office</i> (film) 2022 American film by Joachim Back

Corner Office is a 2022 American comedy drama film directed by Joachim Back and written by Ted Kupper, based on the short story The Room by Jonas Karlsson. The film stars Jon Hamm, Danny Pudi, Sarah Gadon and Christopher Heyerdahl.

References

  1. 1 2 "American Woman | 2019 Tribeca Festival". Tribeca Festival . Archived from the original on March 27, 2023. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
  2. ↑ Lang, Brent (April 24, 2019). "Tribeca Film Festival: 9 Movies to Watch". Variety . Archived from the original on December 8, 2023. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
  3. ↑ Kroll, Justin (September 27, 2017). "'Downsizing' Breakout Hong Chau to Star in Patty Hearst Movie 'American Woman' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety . Archived from the original on October 14, 2022. Retrieved March 17, 2019.
  4. ↑ Hayes, Dade (March 5, 2019). "Tribeca Film Festival Unveils Feature Lineup, With Screen Time For John DeLorean, Muhammad Ali, Chelsea Manning". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on November 1, 2020. Retrieved March 17, 2019.
  5. ↑ Lang, Brent (July 23, 2019). "Toronto Film Festival: 'Joker,' 'Ford v Ferrari,' 'Hustlers' Among Big Premieres". Variety . Archived from the original on July 23, 2019. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
  6. ↑ "TIFF 2019: Meet Semi Chellas, the Canadian woman behind American Woman, and a few Mad Men, too". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on 2020-09-30. Retrieved 2020-07-16.
  7. ↑ "American Woman (2019)". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango. Archived from the original on 2020-08-01. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
  8. ↑ "Review: Canadian heist thriller American Woman knows when to simmer and when to boil over". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on 2020-07-07. Retrieved 2020-07-16.
  9. ↑ "AMERICAN WOMAN » CIFF". www.ciffcalgary.ca. Archived from the original on 2020-07-17. Retrieved 2020-07-16.
  10. ↑ "2019 DTLA Film Festival Winners - PUSHOUT, QT8 and AMERICAN WOMAN Win Prizes". VIMOOZ. 2019-10-28. Archived from the original on 2020-07-16. Retrieved 2020-07-16.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.